


Media vita in morte sumus

by lakambini



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: (either universe works lol), Angst, Character Death, Death, Drabble, Gen, Headcanon, The Future Past Timeline, bad future timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 04:44:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12573980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lakambini/pseuds/lakambini
Summary: Introducing the concept of death to your young children is inevitable if you're in the middle of the war. This, however, was not how Robin imagined it would transpire.





	Media vita in morte sumus

**Author's Note:**

> In the midst of our lives, we are in death.

Cordelia’s funeral was neither fancy nor simple. Surviving close family and friends were the only ones left behind after all the rites were over. The only thing left to do was ignite the pyre, let the flames consume the fallen warrior, and turn her into ashes.

But her husband wouldn’t have it–not while the children are trying to grasp the situation, at least. Little Severa’s wails began to calm down as her father did his best to explain things while holding back his own tears. Her mother is in a better place now, he assured her, stroking the fair-haired child’s head with a tired hand.

Morgan, on the other hand, is much younger than her eight-year-old sister–she is just five years old, in fact. All she could do was cling to papa’s coat, eyes wide and questioning and curious. Why does the fire need to eat mama while she’s asleep? Is it hungry? Is that what they’re going to do to the other sleeping people? Will mama ever wake up?

Robin tried again, using terms and metaphors the children would understand. He knew the topic of death was bound to be introduced his daughters soon–they’re in the middle of a long war after all–but not like this.

_This was not how it was supposed to go._

The children are smarter than he thought, Robin realized, when their grip on his hands tightened. Perhaps they finally understood what was going on?

Without saying much of a word, he knelt down to his daughters’ heights and wrapped his arms around them. 

“Shall we say goodbye to mama, now?” he whispered.

Severa resumed her wailing and Morgan became distressed.

It was then he knew that the children have truly realized that their mother will never wake up from her sleep again.

Soon enough, smoke rose to the sky and the pyre burned hotter and hotter until it was too difficult for the heart and body to bear being near.

In the deathly silence, his children's muffled cries were the only sounds he could hear–and the only sounds he could stand. But if he strains his ears hard enough, he might as well hear the pained scream of a woman that grew fainter and fainter as she fell from the sky.

Cordelia's funeral ended with the sun setting in the horizon, the stench of burnt wood and cloth filling his nostrils.

That evening, Robin went home a changed man.

**Author's Note:**

> I was about to sleep (it's 2 am right now) then I thought about my headcanons about this family and became very emo. My headcanon right now is that Cordelia dies in the same battle where Robin killed Chrom. [eye emoji]
> 
> I am sorry for the late night angst; let us all be emo together ahaha
> 
> edit (03/30/18): Ending and certain paragraphs revised.


End file.
